The Supreme Court yesterday banned the sale of firecrackers till November 1, saying it wants to assess the impact on the air quality.

Harsh Vardhan on twitter welcomed the ruling by Supreme court on banning sale of firecrackers.

New Delhi: Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan has hit delete after tweeting in emphatic support of the Supreme Court ban on the sale of firecrackers in Delhi and nearby areas. His tweets on a "Green Diwali" had apparently rattled a section on social media who call the ban anti-tradition.

Responding to a petition citing unprecedented pollution in Delhi, the Supreme Court yesterday banned the sale of firecrackers till November 1, saying it wants to assess the impact on the air quality. The court said those who had firecrackers can still burst them when the festival of lights is celebrated on October 19.

Delhi BJP spokesman Tejinder Singh Bagga has tweeted that he will distribute firecrackers among slum children. "I have a plan to buy firecrackers worth Rs 50,000 and give them to the children living in the slums of Hari Nagar, so that they can celebrate Diwali," he told the Press Trust of India.

Mr Bagga said it would not be a violation of the court order, "because the court has only banned the sale of firecrackers, it has not put a ban on buying or bursting them."

Among those who have objected to the ban on crackers in Diwali is author Chetan Bhagat.

Banning crackers on Diwali is like banning Christmas trees on Christmas and goats on Bakr-Eid. Regulate. Don't ban. Respect traditions.

Environmentalists have welcomed the court ban, which centres on a petition in the name of three children between six years and 14 months old. Last year, Delhi's pollution levels stood at "severe" after Diwali, which leaves the air thick with smog and toxic particles, with residents complaining of severe breathing troubles.

Firecracker sellers and manufacturers, however, say their earnings will be hit hard. Many fear huge losses, claiming that they are left with stacks of unsold firecrackers worth lakhs.